Charles Cohen / Morphosis

Rabih Beaini aka Morphosis, who brought Charles Cohen out of the obscure and gave him that exposure that his art so truly deserves, is one of these fantastic music historical short circuits, which the internet’s total availability of all music has caused so many of. If you did not know any better, you might think that Cohen had a great influence on Morphosis’s analog organic house – and techno experiments: Just like Cohen picks up inspiration from the (Middle) East and their musical traditions, and a jazzlike spirituality, machinebeats and a deep rhythm-understanding.

But nevertheless simply two years ago, Beaini became acquainted with Cohen’s music, which up until that had only won acknowledgement in his hometown, Philadelphia, and its experimenting dance- and theatre scene. Beaini insisted on releasing everything Cohen owned – both old and recent recordings – and these recordings were made into made into four new vinyls, which contains some of the best and most beautiful synthesizer music, as the internet-era discovered from the oblivion.

It is quite unbelievable how new and fresh Cohen’s music sounds like. There are echoes of cosmic electronic such as Cluster, and melodious repetitions, but Cohen’s special, tinny skeleton compositions are not really comparable with anything else. His instrument is the Buchla Music Easel (a synthesizer being the size of suitcase), which is a rather technological curiosity. Charles Cohen is a master of all its aspects, and is able to twist the most wonderful sounds out of its worn circulation. Round, elastic bubbles of soft sound rises from jingling, tinny percussion – drones turns into micromelodies and concrete-jingling sounds, as a traffic accident, which pans across the soundimage only to be dissolved for the rather popped music.